'Noronen is undefeated against Carolina this season with two wins. Noronen had a scoreless streak against the Hurricanes that dated back to the first period of the game on March 29th until the third period of the game tonight, a time span of 164:20.'

'The team simply does not have the needed firepower to score on a nightly basis, and it would probably take a miracle for that to happen, given the current roster. The best coach in the world cannot force an offensively mediocre team to become a goal-scoring juggernaut simply by force of will.'

'"Patrick really stepped up to get the job done. The positive is that we were able to get the point out of this. We've got to do a better job … they came at us hard in the third," said Senators defenceman Chris Phillips.'

'Ray and Spezza became close friends during the club's playoff drive last year. Ray didn't get any playing time in the post-season, but Spezza was inserted into the lineup in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final against the New Jersey Devils. "He's a great kid. He really is," said Ray. "He's not like most 20-year-olds. He's a guy who really knows what he wants and he wants to get there. He understands what it takes and he's not afraid to work hard."'

'If the Sabres do decide to cut their ties with Regier, it is believed assistant GM Larry Carriere would be a top candidate. Whether former Senators captain Randy Cunneyworth, who is coaching Buffalo's AHL affiliate in Rochester, would get a shot behind the bench isn't known, but he would be a sensible choice to replace Ruff.